Retrobike

[cce]

Re: Re:

Rolling RetroBike years.
THERE is NOTHING stopping people putting and chatting in the retro 1998+ area for these RetroBikes. It why it is there. People just need to use it.

I think there was a time for a second distinct period (maybe 1998-2006) to be added as a distinct section rather than being lumped as "modern", but I think the time for that has passed, the people for whom that period is full of happy memories of endless youthful summer are off doing their thing elsewhere, mainly on facebook.

The absolute core of this site is people into mountain bikes from about 1988-1997. That's niche. And because there have been some excellent people passing through over the years, it's covered in incredible depth, such incredible depth that there's really very little new, so there's little to keep people here once they've achieved what they want. There's only so many times you can tell a newbie that the bottom bracket axle depends on which cranks you're using before you just log off and do something else....

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

When the section was started 2006 was classed as modern ...

Oh I agree, but there is nothing we can do about it if John doesn't want to.
Also a lot of the posts have been rendered crap now they have no pictures.
Which has never been helped by the hoops to get any picture uploaded to the site.
I'm also locked out of the wiki with errors so cannot add anything to there.
I can still do the archive though.

 

[M-Power]

I guess there is only so many variations you can build and this site has probably seen them all, wether it be road or mtb. Judging by the responses or lack of them to build threads are people just becoming bored with it ?

Definitely some of this. It's the same parts bolted to different frames, which don't vary that much. Most of the unicorns have been found now too. Essentially you're looking at another nice bike. No great skill involved in assembling one.

A few threads where people are remanufacturing parts are quite interesting though.

I think if your wanting to keep the site alive and growing then you should focus more on the newer members who maybe havent seen all these bikes and maybe have one themselves they would like to restore or build. To keep on saying that " i have seen it all before, and this is boring and you have no skill" is kind of negative and will not, in my opinion, help newer owners/members want to join this site and show off their own pride and joy.

The site should be for everyone and if someone feels they have "seen it all before" then maybe its time for them to move on.

And i like the decades idea, but would the retro cut off remain or would all decades be classed as retro?

Agree with this. Yes, we have all seen 1000 different Yos/Yetis yada yada built every which way over the years but to a newbie who's just rocked up here and finally got hold of their dream bike....it does no harm to show some ENTHUSIASM and post some positive comments, even if its for the N’th time and you think they are for Yuppies !

Bitd when we would meet up at High Beech and ride in huge groups around Epping Forest, its was the norm to swop bikes for a quick thrash through the trees while the rest sat around and ate cake and tea. Half the time you wouldnt even know the dude but nobody ever said no. Then it was back and 20-30 odd peeps discussing the handling of the bikes. Happy days. I dont think we need insurance, most of us know hiw to build a safe bike or we should not be on here for Petes sake

 

[shamobius]

The photo-bucket implosion was a real gut-punch. So many amazing bikes that you now have to use your imagination to 'see'. The dialogue on the older threads remains, but hard to appreciate without the visual aids...

 

[RobMac]

The photo-bucket implosion was a real gut-punch. So many amazing bikes that you now have to use your imagination to 'see'. The dialogue on the older threads remains, but hard to appreciate without the visual aids...

Absolutely :?

 

[Silvergoat]

Re:

Can't believe people trusted their image collections to Photobucket. Its implosion has trashed and made a nonsense of most of the threads that relied on it on RB.

But there are genuine issues with attempting to post images on RB with the hugely limiting file size and dimensions requirements, so this frustration needs to be addressed.

Another thought is that maybe there should be a section/archive/resource where anyone and everyone (including newbies who should be made to feel welcome) can go to for all those FAQ technical/mechanical queries (that might seem tedious to 'veterans'), plus the more obscure and arcane technical info that years of RB has generated.

When I found Retrobike, it was purely by chance that I stumbled across it – I'd never heard of it before. There I was bored recovering from a long term injury and surfing the web with this vague but insistent notion about trying to find info on old Orange Clockworks so that I refurb mine. After a good 20 to 30 years, I thought it would be impossible but I found it and it was a god sent revelation and rekindled my love of bikes and riding and everything else.

I guess the core of RB is very niche but it would be a huge shame if it disappeared in the ether.

 

[mk one]

Yes, the photobucket fiasco has really not helped and has left the site with great holes. I was thinking of contacting posters to let them know and to ask if they could re upload the images, maybe as attatchments, or even to email them to me and maybe a mod could re post the post with the images attatched. Long shot i know as most have long gone, but cant think of anything else to try at moment.

 

[Bollox64]

Re: Re:

I don't think so.
Plenty of readers mtb threads with double digit numbers of replies.
The Schwinn replica bike thread has 170+ replies!

There's still plenty of different build combinations to be done and hitherto unfound bikes to resurface imo

176 now - Build it and they will come

must admit that my build threads are quite detailed, so a good 1/3 of those 176 are probably my posts... :roll:

 

[Bollox64]

The photo-bucket implosion was a real gut-punch. So many amazing bikes that you now have to use your imagination to 'see'. The dialogue on the older threads remains, but hard to appreciate without the visual aids...

...nail on the head there - that has really messed up hundreds of lovely build threads, probably making people say "f*ck it", as it'll take ages to redo with another source.

Glad I use Flickr.

 

[M-Power]

The photo-bucket implosion was a real gut-punch. So many amazing bikes that you now have to use your imagination to 'see'. The dialogue on the older threads remains, but hard to appreciate without the visual aids...

...nail on the head there - that has really messed up hundreds of lovely build threads, probably making people say "f*ck it", as it'll take ages to redo with another source.

Glad I use Flickr.

For sure. I asked two peeps on FB with 6yr old dead links to Photobucket, to repost pics of a unique one off 80s Ti bike. There was a lot of head scratching but it seems its nigh on impossible or too time consuming to find the original pics again. History is then lost for good, which is a shame.